Forming a union at your workplace gives you and your coworkers the power to stand up for your families, your futures and yourselves. Through a legal, binding contract it gives you a strong, collective voice with which to demand decent working conditions, with fair pay and benefits.

That's what the Teamsters are all about: decent working conditions, better pay, strong benefits and dignity and respect on the job.

The Teamsters can help you explain the benefits of union membership to your fellow employees, and assist in planning an organizing drive.

Once you and your coworkers become Teamsters, working with your local union representatives, contract language and proposals for negotiations are developed. Local union officers and business agents fight with you to win a fair, good-paying Teamster contract with job protection that you deserve.

Teamsters contracts are the best in the labor movement. We have earned our reputation for bargaining hard and demanding the best protections and wages. For more than a century, Teamsters solidarity has kept corporate America from holding the cards and calling all the shots. When you join the Teamsters, you put that history to work for you.

We are the Teamsters. We are 1.4 million strong and our membership is growing. Join us. WE WIN WHEN WE STAND AS ONE.

Forming a union at your workplace gives you and your coworkers the power to stand up for your families, your futures and yourselves. Through a legal, binding contract it gives you a strong, collective voice with which to demand decent working conditions, with fair pay and benefits.

That's what the Teamsters are all about: decent working conditions, better pay, strong benefits and dignity and respect on the job.

The Teamsters can help you explain the benefits of union membership to your fellow employees, and assist in planning an organizing drive.

Once you and your coworkers become Teamsters, working with your local union representatives, contract language and proposals for negotiations are developed. Local union officers and business agents fight with you to win a fair, good-paying Teamster contract with job protection that you deserve.

Teamsters contracts are the best in the labor movement. We have earned our reputation for bargaining hard and demanding the best protections and wages. For more than a century, Teamsters solidarity has kept corporate America from holding the cards and calling all the shots. When you join the Teamsters, you put that history to work for you.

We are the Teamsters. We are 1.4 million strong and our membership is growing. Join us. WE WIN WHEN WE STAND AS ONE.

A union is a group of employees who join together within a company to bargain collectively for better wages, stronger benefits and safer working conditions.

What do unions do?

A union’s primary objective is to secure good contracts for its members and to enforce the provisions of that contract. The union also administers some of the contract's important benefits directly. Often these include health plans, pensions and labor/management partnerships and trusts. See The Teamster Contract.

How do you organize with the Teamsters?

Employees who want to join the Teamsters sign a “union authorization card.” When a majority of employees sign cards, they are forwarded, in most cases, to the National Labor Relations Board

When the union is certified, the company is required by law to bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions. The laws governing public sector and the airline industry are different. See Getting Started (NLRB). The NLRB then schedules and conducts a secret ballot election. In some cases, when a majority of workers sign cards the company will recognize the union.

If I sign an authorization do I have to vote yes in the election? What if I change my mind?

The Teamsters are committed to organizing workers that want Teamster representation. Organizing is not about holding a vote; it is about gaining a voice in the workplace.

When the NLRB conducts a union election it's a secret ballot. No one has any right to know how you voted.

How does the union work out problems with management?

Through the grievance procedure. The contract spells out what the grievance procedures are and explains how conflicts are to be resolved.

When management engages in unfair conduct or violates a a provision of the contract there are steps spelled out in the contract to resolve the problem. First, talk with your supervisor. When he or she refuses to do anything about it, go to your Teamster shop steward for help. The steward sits down with you and management and tries to talk about the issue. If it can't be resolved at this meeting, a business agent from the union approaches the company to discuss the issue. If the problem still cannot be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, the business agent appeals to upper management. If this step fails, both parties bring in a neutral arbitrator to hear evidence and order a final resolution of the problem.

What are shop stewards and business agents?

A shop steward is one of your co-workers, who acts as an agent of the union in the workplace. The union membership and the Teamster local union determines procedures for electing shop stewards and negotiates how many stewards are in each job location, shift and department. The steward's job is to make sure your company lives up to your contract. When there is a problem with management and you need union help, your first stop should be a visit with your shop steward.

A business agent is an official of your local union who handles any problems the shop steward cannot.

What is a “bargaining unit”?

A bargaining unit is made up of all the employees who are eligible to vote for and be in the union.

Who negotiates your contract?

The Teamsters and the company each choose their own negotiators. The company's team is usually comprised of lawyers, local management and upper management officials. The union team usually consists of bargaining unit employees and expert union negotiators. See Contract Negotiations.

What kind of say do I get in the contract?

Before contract talks start, the union asks you what you'd like to see in a contract. Usually the union sends out a survey to all a bargaining unit's members. Once the contract has been negotiated it's submitted to you and your co-workers for ratification. If a majority doesn't approve of the contract, your negotiating team goes back to the drawing board.

How long do contracts last?

Usually 3 to 5 years.

What are union dues? What are they used for?

Union dues are the money you pay to the union to help pay for support staff, legal costs, negotiation costs, arbitrator's fees, etc. See Facts About Dues.

What’s a “local”?

The Teamsters have a structure that includes a national body, intermediaries, and local unions. Most decisions are made at the state and local union level. See Teamster Structure.

So what does the “International” do?

The International's responsibilities include; lobbying Congress for laws that benefit workers, sending help to locals that need it and coordinating national organizing efforts.

How democratic are unions?

The whole process is open and democratic. You decide if you want to sign an authorization card. You decide whether to vote "yes" on joining the union. You decide which co-workers you want on your negotiating team. You decide what to tell your negotiators you want in a contract. You vote on the contract once it's negotiated. You vote on who will be your shop steward. You vote on who will be the officers of your local.

Union workers pay an average of 8 percent of the total monthly premium(employer pays 92 percent) for single coverage; non-union workers pay 20 percent. Union households pay an average of 12 percent of the monthly premium for family coverage while non-union families pay 32 percent.

72 percent of union workers have a guaranteed defined-benefit pensioncompared to 15 percent of non-union workers.

In addition to job protection, benefits and wages provided for in Teamster Contracts, the International Union provides for additional services offered at a discounted cost to the membership. Because of the strength and size of our membership, the International is able to negotiate these lower costs for services ranging from legal to medical to financial. We are always on the lookout for ways to save our Teamster families money and increase their prosperity.

Teamster Privilege

A comprehensive package of benefits, services and discounts available only to Teamsters and their families.

Teamster Privilege Life Insurance

Teamster Privilege Accident Insurance

Teamster Privilege Credit Card

Teamster Privilege Dental and Health Plan

Teamster Privilege Mortgage and Real Estate

Teamster Privilege Legal Services

Teamster Privilege Loan Program

Teamster Privilege Family Savers Discounts

Teamster Scholarships

James R. Hoffa Scholarship Fund: Created in 2000, the union awards college scholarships to Teamsters dependents through this fund. It awards seventy-five scholarships annually. Twenty-five of the awards, five per region, total $10,000 each. These four-year scholarships are disbursed at the rate of $2,500 per year and are renewable annually. Fifty of the awards, ten per region, are one-time $1,000 grants.

Teamster Disaster Relief Services

Teamsters families can count on their brothers and sisters in times of crisis. In the past, the Union has coordinated relief efforts for Teamsters caught in the middle of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and droughts.

Teamster Magazine

Mailed eight times yearly to all 1.4 million members, The Teamster provides the latest information on organizing, contract victories, legislative affairs, health and safety, politics and human-interest stories.

Division Newsletters

These publications keep members up to date on union news in their particular industry or craft.

In addition you also receive a wide array of additional benefits provided through your local union. These include additional local discounts, local scholarships and local union publications.

These are just a few examples of the ways in which your Teamsters dues pay off. It Pays to Be A Teamster.